Chocolate Milk and Cookies
by hoc-et-quod
Summary: Jane Foster had always been nice to young Loki.


**Title:** Chocolate Milk and Cookies

**Summary:** Jane Foster had always been nice to young Loki.

**Characters:** Loki, Jane Foster

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><p>Loki liked Jane Foster. Actually, Loki liked quite a few people. What made Jane special was that she was amongst the few who liked him back.<p>

He first met her when had (accidentally) stolen a car an almost ran into the owner, Dr. Eric Solvang. At that point, everybody he met had not been at all happy to see him (including Dr. Solvang and Ironman). So Loki was quite surprised when Jane smiled at him and said, "Hello, Loki. I'm delighted to meet you."

Thor asked her to keep an eye on him while he fought the World Eaters. Loki helped out, as best he could, with the refugees from the other realms. After the crisis was over and there was finally time to relax, Jane took him to her house. She fixed him dinner then gave him a glass of chocolate milk and a few cookies before sending him off to bed.

Loki enjoyed visiting Jane. She always tried her best to make time for him and she always had chocolate milk and cookies on hand. At first he thought it was because he brought her news of Thor. But when he started telling her about his (non-incriminating) exploits, she had listened with just as much interest.

She even helped him buy his StarkPhone and they would 'IM' often, even if just to say "Hello".

Eventually, he started confiding in her some of his problems he didn't want to worry Thor with. It started after a particularly trying week. Thor was away with The Avengers and it seemed all of Asgard took that opportunity to take out their pent up aggressions toward him. They didn't touch him, of course. They wouldn't dare risk Thor's wrath by physically harming him. But words can cut just as deeply as a blade. He was able to ignore them at first, but when they starting talking about how Thor would soon realize his mistake and send Loki away or worse.

That struck deep because it was his greatest fear.

Without Thor to reassure him, Loki felt himself falling in to a depression. So he packed up a few essentials and headed out to Broxton, intending to stay there until Thor returned. He hadn't intended to run into Jane, but Broxton was a small town (though, later on he would admit he didn't exactly try very hard to avoid her).

He went to the Supermarket to get some food. Many of the merchants had begun accepting Asgardian gold. He was going in as she was coming out with a basket of food.

"Loki? What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

Loki put on the brightest smile he could muster. "Good evening, Miss Jane. I'm doing well. How are you?"

But Jane obviously didn't believe his lie as she didn't return his smile. She sighed and held out her hand. "Come with me, Loki. I'll fix you dinner and you can tell me all about it."

Jane didn't press him immediately. She fixed him dinner and they chatted about random things while they ate. Afterward she sent Loki to watch TV in the living room while she cleaned up. He checked the news channels first, to see if any were reporting on Thor and The Avengers. There is nothing so he began flipping through the channels.

Jane came in shortly with a tray of cookies, a glass of chocolate milk for him and some tea for herself. She took the remote from Loki and turned off the TV.

"Well, then," she said as she poured herself some tea. "What brings you to Broxton?"

"I just felt like visiting," Loki lied.

Jane raised an eyebrow and Loki sighed. Obviously he was too distress to lie effectively.

"It's pretty late to be just visiting," she replied. "Especially with an over-night bag."

Loki didn't reply. He didn't know what to say to her as lying evidently wasn't an option.

"Where's Thor?"

"With The Avengers," Loki replied.

She paused, as if considering her next question. "Did somebody do something to you?"

Loki shook his head. "Nobody did anything." That wasn't a lie. Not really.

"Did somebody _say_ anything to you?"

Loki stared into his milk, thinking back on those harsh words said with such hate. He felt as if he wanted to cry and swallowed hard before answering. "Yes."

He heard the clink of Jane putting down her cup and she was soon sitting beside him. She placed a steady hand on his back. Loki didn't look at her. "What did they say?"

"That Thor would send me away." As soon as he said it, as soon as he voiced his deepest fear, he felt moisture on his face. Once the tears started he couldn't stop them. "I don't want Thor to send me away."

Jane pulled him into a hug and gently stroked his back. "Oh, Loki. Thor's not going to send you away. He loves you. You're his little brother."

Jane let him cry himself out, whispering soothing words the entire time. He was surprised how much better he felt afterward.

"Would you like to stay with me until Thor returns?" Jane asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Loki replied without hesitation.

She set him up in her guest room and the next day took him to buy some Midgardian clothes to find so he wouldn't stand out so much. When Thor return, Jane told him he should leave the clothes at her house for whenever he stayed the night.

It made Loki feel so happy to have a place where he would always be welcomed.

In addition to the open invitation to her home, Jane made it very clear to Loki that she was always available when he needed somebody to confide in or a shoulder to cry on. She promised that everything he told her would be held in strict confidence, even from Thor. Those visits had been crucial in helping him through those turbulent early years and he would be forever grateful to her.

When Asgard returned to its proper realm, the visits all but ended. He couldn't even contact her with his StarkPhone as it go no signal in Asgard. Usually, he was only able to visit if Thor took him.

Eventually, he became so busy with his studies and his work that the visits stopped altogether.

Loki always liked Jane Foster and he was still fairly certain that she liked him. So, when he found himself on a rooftop in Midgard waiting for a certain web-slinger, he pulled out his StarkPad and decided it was a high time to get reacquainted with an old friend.

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><p>The last paragraph takes place during the last part of <em>Tricksters at Play.<em>

Loki acquired a StarkPhone in _Journey Into Mystery _#622. Jane wasn't mentioned at all but I liked the idea that she help him buy one.

I figured there would eventually be a StarkPad and Loki would eventually get one.


End file.
